Italy

GERMANY/ITALY - Dutch/Belgian Fortis Bank has ended its European equity research activities in Frankfurt and Milan.

ITALY - Sensitive negotiations over pensions reform in Italy are due to resume amid dire warnings of the demographic time bomb that awaits the country if it fails to act.

ITALY - Insurance companies in Italy are set to benefit from growth in the pensions market as investors start to look at specific products for saving for retirement.

ITALY - Italy's pensions market is experiencing a strong divergence between the closed occupational part of the industry and the open funds which sell their products to everyone.

BENELUX/FRANCE/GERMANY/ITALY - Nearly one quarter of institutional investors are dissatisfied with the performance of their asset managers, according to the latest European Institutional Asset Management Survey (EIAMS) by Invesco.

GERMANY/ITALY - Commerzbank believes pension funds should increase their exposure to the insurance sector which, it says, is on the verge of a recovery.

ITALY - Fonchim, the first contractual private pension fund to be launched in Italy, is to transform into a multi-compartment vehicle next year with a choice of investment strategies for its members, in a move that is likely to be followed by other funds...

ITALY - Italy's fund market is gearing up to offer socially responsible investment products, although it may be some time until it has any significant impact on the pensions market.

ITALY - Prudential investment unit M&G International has unveiled plans to extend its reach into Italy later this year.

UK/ITALY - Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP), the asset management of Lloyds TSB is to extend its reach into the Italian institutional market with a co-operation deal and with investment bank Cofiri Sim.